Off-road vehicles enjoy an enthusiastic following because of their many uses and versatility. As a result, several types of motorsports involve racing of various types of off-road vehicles. For example, competitions exist that are dedicated to various types of terrain, such as rally, desert racing, and rock-crawling. Besides their use in various motorsports, the most common use of off-road vehicles is for sight-seeing in areas that may not be accessed via standard, paved roads.
The use of higher clearance, higher traction vehicles enables off-road vehicles to access trails and roads that have rough and low traction surfaces that may not be traversed using a standard, on-road vehicle. Furthermore, off-road vehicles typically comprise larger wheels, wider tires, and suspension configurations that are specifically engineered for use in off-road applications. As a result, a plurality of parameters must be adjusted to achieve desired levels of suspension travel, comfort, and also so that wider and larger wheel/tire configurations can be made to fit a particular chassis/application.
One parameter that may be adjusted is referred to as “camber angle.” Camber angle refers to the angle between a vertical axis of the wheels, and the vertical axis of the vehicle when viewed from the front or rear. If the top of the wheel extends further out than the bottom (that is, away from the vehicle's axle), it is generally referred to as a “positive camber” condition. Similarly, if the bottom of the wheel is extends further out than the top of the wheel, it is referred to as a “negative camber” condition.
Conventionally, camber kits were made available so that the camber angle could be adjusted. However, for off-road vehicles especially, adding parts to the underbody of the vehicle is not desirable due to the potential clearance issues with respect to off-road elements, such as rocks, dunes, and the like. If the camber kits fail, the results could be catastrophic.
Accordingly, there exists a need for adjusting the camber angle without the addition of a camber kit, such that suspension clearance is desirably maintained.
While the present disclosure is subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. The invention should be understood to not be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.